Making Rounds With Oscar

The Extraordinary Gift of An Ordinary Cat

The staff at Steere House nursing home in Rhode Island adopted a cute little kitten with attitude. He loved to stretch out in sunlight and chase his tail-- and consented to a cuddle when it suited him. Oscar was an ordinary cat-- or so it seemed. It wasn't long before he created a stir. It seems Oscar possessed an extraordinary gift: he instinctively knew when the end of life was near. This is the story of Oscar, his patients, caregivers and one stubborn doctor who learned how to listen.

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This book is not just a nice book for the animal lovers. The author weaves in and out of the story of this unique cat who sits next to the dying person on their very last day of life and tells very real, necessary and important individual stories of the dementia patients and their families. I learned a lot about the last stages of dementia and what actually happens to the people involved. I am very grateful that I found this book.

Oscar is the ultimate feline comfort in the lives of terminally ill residents of a Rhode Island nursing home. Narrated by a doctor who is at first totally skeptical of Oscar's gifts, he grudgingly learns firsthand that Oscar is one very special kitty.

Making the Rounds with Oscar, a book I found very enlightening, informative, and invaluable for anyone who will confront the loss of loved ones with or without terminal illness. While Dr. Dosa reveals lessons about Alzheimer's, his story, as well as, can be applied to other end of life matters.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Oscar and the experiences of Dr. Dosa.

When I first heard about this story, I thought it would be really upsetting for people to see this cat in their room - after all, he only stays in the rooms of the dying. What I didn't realize was that this takes place on the dementia ward of a nursing home, albeit one with an enlightened policy on resident animals. Everyone is dying. and towards the end, there is often acceptance and even welcoming. While we can never know exactly what the patients were aware of, there was only one report of a family member blocking Oscar's access to a loved one's room - and that was in an effort to keep the loved one alive until another family member could arrive. No one reported that the cat's presence caused distress. Dr. Dosa interviews the families of patients who had Oscar with them while they were dying in an effort to figure out what was going on with the cat's uncanny talent. He also imparts interesting information about dementia and dementia patients. A fascinating book.

RMCNAJ
Mar 28, 2011

I enjoyed this book very much. Interesting story interspersed with some good information about dementia. Informative (on a topic which many only know minimally) in an easy to read style.